Admission characteristics that influence DNP students' first‐semester success: A retrospective study

Abstract

Background: Students apply to Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) programs with varying demographic, academic, and professional characteristics. Programs are challenged with selecting and retaining students. Suggestions regarding which admission criteria and student characteristics are influential for success have been inconsistent. Recently, holistic admission practices have been employed to increase diversity, but little is known on the relationship between holistic admissions and student success. Objective: To investigate which demographic, academic, and professional characteristics influence DNP students' first-semester success. Design: Retrospective study using online DNP student application materials at a medium-sized, mid-Atlantic private university. Method: Investigators used a self-developed Audit Tool to identify characteristics of enrolled DNP students' application materials (n = 245). Categorical and continuous data were analyzed using χ 2 and Independent Samples t-tests to determine which characteristics influenced success. Results: Analysis revealed none of the items related to student characteristics were associated with first-semester academic success. Conclusion: Further research is needed. Studies exploring additional individual characteristics and time frames may be more predictive of first-semester academic success.